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<h4 align="justify">Is China building an empire on the sea?</h4>
<p align="justify">From Somalia to the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Malacca, Beijing is increasingly seeking to project naval power, a sharp break from its traditional, narrower strategy of patrolling the Chinese coast. Military leaders in China maintain that the Chinese navy is purely a self-defense force, but this definition has now expanded to encompass broad maritime and economic interests. "With our naval strategy changing now, we are going from coastal defense to far sea defense," Rear Adm. Zhang Huachen, deputy commander of the East Sea Fleet, said in an interview with Xinhua, the state news agency. According to experts, the Chinese navy receives more than one-third of the country's overall military budget, reflecting the priority Beijing places on maintaining open sea lanes for resources and manufacturing as a vital element of national security.</p>

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Click on the images; &amp; use keyboard direction buttons... <a title="Above, Chinese sailors wave goodbye before heading to the Gulf of Aden on Feb. 21 in Zhoushan. The 8th Chinese Naval Escort Fleet, which consists of two missile frigates -- the Ma'anshan and Wenzhou -- left for Somali waters to protect merchant ships from rampant piracy in the area. The two ships will be joined by the Qiandaohu, a supply ship that is already patrolling the waters with the 7th Escort Fleet. " href="http://i53.tinypic.com/313t16d.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/313t16d.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="Since December 2008, China has maintained three ships in the Gulf of Aden to contribute to international anti-piracy patrols, the first deployment of the Chinese navy beyond the Pacific. Analysts believe that this kind of mission allows China to improve its long-range capabilities. A 2009 Pentagon report estimated that China's naval forces include some 75 principal combatants, over 60 submarines, 55 medium and large amphibious ships, and approximately 70 missile-equipped patrol craft.Above, sailors stand on the deck of China's Task Force 525 flagship missile frigate Ma'anshan as it anchors at the port in Manila on April 13, 2010. The frigate docked in the Philippines after completing a 128-day mission in which it protected international vessels against Somali pirates.  " href="http://i51.tinypic.com/i6bgqq.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i51.tinypic.com/i6bgqq.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="The Varyag, China's first aircraft carrier, in Dalian on April 23, where it has been docked since 2002. Acquired by China from Ukraine in 1998, for the past nine years the carrier has been undergoing modernization work: When purchased, it did not include electronic circuits, radars, antennas, engines, or other critical equipment.A report by Britain-based Jane's Defence Weekly stated that the carrier would come equipped with phased-array radars and surface-to-air missiles, making it a more independent platform than its U.S. equivalent, which is dependent on Aegis-type guided-missile cruisers for protection. The 302-m long and 70.5-m wide carrier will have a cruising speed of between 29 and 31 knots. The carrier's loaded displacement (weight) of 67,000 tons will enable it to host as many as 50 aircraft. " href="http://i56.tinypic.com/2r4pdzk.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2r4pdzk.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="Chinese marine corps officers on their amphibious vehicles during a Sino-Russian joint military exercise in Qingdao, on Aug. 22, 2005. During the war games, Chinese destroyers, submarines, and fighter planes together with a Russian missile destroyer and anti-submarine vessels simulated a naval blockade " href="http://i52.tinypic.com/2cf4ops.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2cf4ops.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="A Chinese submarine launches a missile in an offshore blockade exercise during the third phase of the Sino-Russian " href="http://i53.tinypic.com/2r44had.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]" ><img style="margin: 10px" src=" http://i53.tinypic.com/2r44had.jpg" width="200" height="141"></a> <a title=" In preparation for an overseas deployment to Somalia, Chinese navy special forces carry out an anti-pirate drill on March 2, 2010, in Hainain. In addition to the Gulf of Aden, two Chinese warships docked in Abu Dhabi in March 2010, the first time the modern Chinese navy made a port visit in the Middle East." href="http://i54.tinypic.com/2m4bq78.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2m4bq78.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title=" A Chinese submersible -- a small submarine that relies on a support vessel -- places the national flag on the seafloor in the South China Sea on June 29, 2010. According to the New York Times, this mission signaled Beijing's intention to take regional lead in exploring remote and inaccessible parts of the ocean floor, which are rich in oil, minerals and other resources.

The submersible -- named Jiaolong, after a mythical sea dragon -- has successfully reached 3,759 meters beneath sea level during a manned test. It is designed to dive to a depth of 7,000 meters." href=" http://i52.tinypic.com/671utu.jpg" rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/671utu.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="Above, a Chinese submarine on April 23, 2009, attends an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Fifty-six Chinese submarines, destroyers, frigates, missile boats, and planes were displayed off the eastern port city of Qingdao, just weeks after tensions flared following the aforementioned naval standoff with the United States in the South China Sea " href="http://i53.tinypic.com/2povdqw.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src=" http://i53.tinypic.com/2povdqw.jpg" width="200" height="141"></a> <a title=" A Chinese vessel passes by Hong Kong's skyline on May 5, 2004." href="http://i53.tinypic.com/33nkho1.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/33nkho1.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title=" Chinese navy special forces carry out an anti-pirate drill on the deck of the DDG-171 Haikou destroyer on Dec. 25, 2008." href="http://i54.tinypic.com/vyunvt.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src=" http://i54.tinypic.com/vyunvt.jpg" width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="A member of the PLA navy task group guards a submarine berthed in Hong Kong waters on April 30, 2004. " href=" http://i52.tinypic.com/2rxaeet.jpg" rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src=" http://i52.tinypic.com/2rxaeet.jpg" width="200" height="141"></a> <a title=" Chinese navy special forces train for an anti-pirate drill on March 2, 2010, in Hainan." href=" http://i51.tinypic.com/120q8uv.jpg" rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i51.tinypic.com/120q8uv.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="An Egyptian man talks on his cell phone while behind him the CSCL Zeebrugge passes through the Suez Canal at the port city of Ismailia, 75 miles north of Cairo, on Nov. 22, 2008. Piracy off the coast of Somalia is jeopardizing traffic heading to and from the Suez Canal, a strategic shipping route. " href="http://i52.tinypic.com/14y03h2.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src=" http://i52.tinypic.com/14y03h2.jpg" width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="A Russian Kilo-class conventional submarine belonging to the Chinese navy is berthed at the naval headquarters of the China North Sea Fleet in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao on Aug. 2, 2000. China has bought Russian submarines and advanced weapons systems, including wake-homing torpedoes, and has sought Russian assistance in designing a new generation of Chinese-made nuclear-powered submarines. " href=" http://i55.tinypic.com/15hiolh.jpg" rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i55.tinypic.com/15hiolh.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title="Schoolchildren wave Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Chinese flags as Chinese navy personnel line up on the deck of a missile frigate as it makes a port call in Hong Kong on Dec. 14, 2009. " href="http://i56.tinypic.com/2qxs6mr.jpg " rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2qxs6mr.jpg " width="200" height="141"></a> <a title=" Officers of the PLA Navy Task group disembark from a Chinese submarine berthed in Hong Kong waters on April 30, 2004." href=" http://i53.tinypic.com/2sbo75u.jpg" rel="lightbox[chinanavyblue]"><img style="margin: 10px" src=" http://i53.tinypic.com/2sbo75u.jpg" width="200" height="141"></a>


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